The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-12
Austin H. Brown Is Not Entitled to the Credit
of Discovering the Theft-How Reform"
Works in Some of the Other Bureaus.
Alleged Scandalous Disclosures in Con-
nection with the Bacon Shortage.
Queer Medical Row Growing Out Of DR..
Soyers's Criticism of the Presidents Man
ner of Living-0ther Washington News.
HARvEY.s THEFT.

It Was Made Possible by Auditor Wiiliams's
Wonderful System of Economy"
Special TO the indianapolis Journal
WAsHINGT on, July 1.-THE Harvey incl
dent. which has created 40 much comment.
could not possibly have occurred under any
other administration of the Third Auditors Of
fce." said old Treasury official to-day. s'The
truth is" he continued. that Col. Williams, the
present incumbent OF the office, is so thoroughly
imbued with the spirit of the Holman brand OF
economy. which seems to be epidemic wish DEM
ocratic statesmen from Indiana, that he over
stepped himself, and IL is due to that fact that
forgeries were possible. Whom Col Williams
first assumed the duties of his Office he began
an era Of reform with capital R. That reform
consisted. first in procuring the discharge of the
alleged 'surplus' force of clerks; then he doubled
up the work of the remainder until he able
to say that his Office was doing twice as much
work as itever accomplished before with fewer
clerks. The result is that, instead of carefully
examining every account which passed through
their hands, they are supposed to do. the
clerks have been making records for themselves
in order that they might save their places"
II is fact we'll known in the Treasury Depart
ment that since the inauguration of the reform
policy of the present Third Auditor,
the clerks in his Office have done their
work in perfunctory manner, and
that it has been utterly impossible to give
accounts passing through that Office the atten-
tion they ought to have. Careful scrutiny was
impossible under the circumstances which ex-
listed 1t is fact. too. not generally known,
that tho discoverer of the Harvey forgeries was
not Mr.. Austin H. Brown, to whom the credit
has been given, but clerk in the Office, who re-
marked to Mr.. Brown as he called his attention
to Mr.. Lannon'S claim: 'tThis does not seem to
be exactly right, but have not time to exam
inc it carefully" Tho clerk dared not claim tho
credit of the discovery, as the claim might lose
him his place.
The Treasury Department is not the only
branch of the federal service in which the ''re-
form" policy is proving decidedly expensive to
the country. IL seems to be the aim Of the pres
ent administrative officers to make records"
which will show up well before the country.
Day after day accounts sent out show
ing the enormous amount of work performed
by tile present force Of clerks in the various bu-
reaus. The Pension Office IL q conspicuous ex-
ample Of this. General Black never misses an
opportunity to spread before tho country state
ments of improved methods. which he claims are
now in in his Office when compared with the
work of General Dudley. The new system is
just beginning to have its natural effect Al
most daily there are reports of new discoveries
of allowances Of fraudulent claims. A most no.
torious instance of this is tho case Of "Blind
Patterson" who recently received over $13 000
1t is generally believed now in the Pension Office
that Republican officials were right in hanging
up this case, and that the claim is absolutely
fraudulent Tho policy of ''record making"
which has been adopted in ncary all depart
ments of the government since the advent Of
the present administration, promises to be the
most expensive reform Of the century.